Armed with a clutch of clubs, an electric trolley, and iron determination, Vanessa Evans braves the driving range.

As captain for women's golf at Broome Manor Swindon, she sets the example and warms up before her ritual 18-hole Sunday round.

Far from being the stuffy preserve of corporate directors or retired men, women are now a familiar sight on the fairway.

With some 40 regulars on her books, Vanessa, also 40, thinks the ladies' golfing craze is catching on in Swindon.

She said: "It's a very leisurely and social sport. There's nothing like a good round of golf to clear your mind while taking light exercise."

Spurred by her enthusiasm, I decided to try my hand at teeing off and join the women for their monthly medal competition.

The changing room was alive with chirpy conversation and coffee number requests for the drinks machine.

Women of all ages were out in force, donning their waterproof suits and checking the team lists.

One of the youngest and most promising players is Kay Dickinson.

Kay, 28, has been practising her strokes ever since the age of 16. With an impressive handicap of 12, she out performs her father, Lawrence, with dozens of shots to spare.

Kay, an administration assistant from Old Town, said: "My dad introduced me to the green and I fell in love with the sport. I was bought lessons for Christmas and have been playing ever since."

Proving age really is no barrier in this sport, 71-year-old Anne Perry still plays four times a week.

Anne, from Chippenham, said: "I took it up 12 years ago and thoroughly enjoy it. Golf is great outdoor exercise. Living on my own, it is also a wonderful way to meet people."

For many members golfing is not just a hobby, but a way of life.

A special golfing school in Spain has become a holiday haunt for the keenest swingers in Old Town.

Moving closer to home, the Pakeman League takes them to courses across Wiltshire.

Vanessa, a relocation agent, said: "Golf certainly gets us out and about. We have developed quite a network of friends."

Undeterred by the wind and rain, we assembled in our allocated groups ready to face the fairway.

Marilyn Forward, aged 55, Val Mesure, aged 53, and the leader, Vanessa formed our four-strong pack.

Vanessa didn't need my caddying services because she has a turbo electric trolley. She also has a cuddly tiger covering her clubs presumably in the hope that Tiger Wood's legendary stroke will rub off on her performance.

Before embarking on my first 18-hole adventure, Vanessa steered me towards the driving range for a few practise shots.

Apparently I'm a natural, my pendulum swing is perfection itself. It's just the small problem of aiming.

Forget playing the air guitar air golf is the new rock and roll. So there I stood swiping in vain, trying to tee off. Hitting the ball is not as easy as it looks.

"Keep your eye on it when you follow through," Vanessa instructed, holding back the giggles.

Before I could display my golfing gravitas, our round was underway.

"You'll pick it up as we play," Vanessa reassured me.

What first attracted her to the game was being able to forget everything and focus solely on striking the ball.

She still has vivid memories of her one and only hole in one.

"It was 7.30pm and I was playing with my husband. At first we thought the ball had disappeared, then we discovered it in the hole."

By the time they finished most people had left the club and missed the traditional free round of drinks.

Although the women are good sports, they take the game very seriously. "The language can get very blue out on the green," Vanessa warned.

Save the odd bout of cursing, the behaviour is extremely civilised. And has to be because of the count-less rules of golfing etiquette.

Talking while someone takes a addresses the ball is frowned upon and failing to rake the sand in a bunker after a shot is nothing short of hooliganism. There is even a dress code no collarless shirts, jeans or skimpy shorts.

As we finished the first few holes, Marilyn and Val were looking forward to the 'chuck wagon' that serves hot drinks and bacon butties.

So imagine their crestfallen faces when it didn't turn up.

But it was perhaps just as well because there isn't a toilet pit stop en route.

Vanessa said: "We've been trying to get a portaloo for ages. We've got planning permission. But appar-ently it's got to be suitable for the disabled, so we could be in for a long wait."

In the meantime, the ladies are happy to spend a penny behind the bushes at holes 8 or 13.

"Number 13 is well covered. We all do it, so there's nothing to be embarrassed about," she added.

As we progressed around the course, the playing standard was hit and miss.

Shots landed anywhere from straight on the green to miles off course, amid the trees and undergrowth.

"We try to be philosophical about a bad hole, but there is always a nagging frustration," Vanessa added.

Taking a break from the competition, the course ranger, Eric Grovier, gave me a tour of the grounds in his jeep.

His duties include collecting stray balls the front basket can hold up to 3,000 a time.

Eric said: "I usually pick them up once a day. But if the children are out, it becomes non-stop."

As soon as the round finishes, the game evaluation begins in the clubhouse.

"We always analyse every shot in detail to see where we went wrong," Vanessa said.

But at the end of the day, the women like nothing more than unwinding with a glass of wine or two.

She added: "We try not to take it too seriously. If we did, it would drive us around the bend, not just the green."